Steam trap



Sept. 18, 1928.

w. H. KUHN STEAM TRP Filed June 29, 1925 Patented Sept. 18j, 1928.

UNITED stares WIVLFRED n. KUT-IN, or DETROIT, MTGHTGAN.

STEAM TRAP.

Application filed .Tune 29, 1925. Serial No. 40,243.

This invention relates to a device for removing water of condensation from a steam line. An object of the present invention is to provide an etlicient 'device of compact form and arrangement whereby space is conserved anda construction provided which may be installed in places where devices of this character, as usually constructed, could not readily be used. 'A further object is to automatically remove entrained air in the steam line along with the water of condensation and to provide an arrangement embodying a removable head or cover which forms a support for the valve operating mechanism, whereby ready access to the mechanism is had through the removal of the head. It is also anl object to provide certain other new and useful featuresin the construction and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter set forth, and more particun larly pointedv out inthe appended claims.

`With the above and other ends in view, the

ment whereby the bucket or float and valve operating mechanism actuated thereby are carried bya detachable head, and further `consists in the arrangement of the bucket and operating mechanism, and also in the vmatters of the construction and arrangement of the parts, all as hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed Vout in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through a device illustrative of the present invention g Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the lower end of the bucket, substantially upon the line IiP-II, of Figure 1, and Figure 3 isa horizontal section upon the line Iii-III of'Figure 1.

i In the drawing, 1 indicates a suitable casing, which is preferablyl Aof cylindrical form and is provided with an opening 2. near its lower end through which sediment accumulating in the bottom of the casing may be drawn off,said casing'being also formed with horizontal'outstanding flange 3 at yits upper end for the attachment thereto of a head 4.' 'This head isprovided with aninlet passage at one side and anoutlet 6 at the opposite side, the inlet being screw threaded to receive the steam pipe of the line from which it is condensation, and the outlet :being also screw threaded to receive a pipe for carrying awag.'r

invention consists in provding an arrange-`V desired to` draw the water of' the water. The outlet 6 is in direct communication with a chamber 7 formed in the head 4; and separated from the water chamber 8 of the casing y1 by a dividing wall 9. The inletA passage 5 opens through this Wall 9 and depending from t-he wall is a Hangs 10 forming a baffle to direct the incoming steam .and water downwardly within the chamber 8. rlhe wall Sis also formed with an upwardly extending cylindrical portion 11 at the axis of the head and an opening 12 in the wall is closed by aV depending tubular member 13 which is secured at its upper Aend to the lower side of the wall with the passage formed thereby, in line with the opening`12. The lower end of the tubular member 13 is enlarged as at 14 to provide a chamber ,15 within which suitable lever mechanism is pivotally supported, .the lower side of the chamber 15 being open.

'A bucket or float 16, which-is of the usual cup shape and openat its upper end, iS positioned within the chamber 8 and surrounds the tubular member 13 and itsV y.enlarged lower end. This bucket has a free vertical movement within the chamber 8 and is designed to float within the water of condensation until such time as the water rises within the chamber S and overflows into the bucket toweight the bucket and cause a downward movement thereof. This bucket is guided in its upand down movement by means yof a guide riod17, which is secured at its lower end to the closed bottom of the bucket and extends upwardv through an opening 18 in the upper wall of the enlarged lower end 14 yof vthe member 18. This member 13also has Va laterally yextending arm'19 near its upper Uend, which arm is provided with an opening through which .the rod 17 extends. The rod, therefore, is free to move up and down with the bucket and forms a guide therefor.

rlhe head 4l is provided with a domeshaped cap 2O detachablT secured to the head over an axial opening therein and the cylindrical `upward extension 11 on the .head is internally screw threaded Ito receive a valve cage Q1', which cageis screw threaded at its upper end .to receive a cap nut 22.. A disk 23, having van axial opening 24, is detachably heldito its kseat upon the upper end of the cage 21 by means of the ,cap nutf22, so ,that tiisfdisk'wzhich forms the seat for `a valve, mayv he readily'removed .and reversed in its position, so desired2 to provid" tor-the valve. Seating upwardly rsii a new seat this seat Vis a valve25, which consists of a cylindrical body tapered at both ends and detachably secured Within a. guide member 26 by means ot a pin 27. The guide member bore ot' theguide member 26 in which the valve is secured, is a head 29 upon the upper end of a valve rod or stein 30, which extends downwardly within the tubular member' 13 and is pivotally attached V.at31 to a 'lcver32 located Within the chamber 15 ofthe enlarged lower end 14 of the member 13. As `shown in 'Figures 1 and 2, a collar 30 is attached to the valve rod 30 above the lever 32 while the r lower threaded end of the valveV rod below the lever receives the nut 30. When the bucket 16 is disengaged from the guide rod 17, access is had to the lever mechanism to permit the separation of the lever 32fand valve rod 30 whereby the' latter may be freely moved upwardly through the valve cage for disassembly. Thislever 3L is pivotally supported, as at 33, upon an end wall of the chamber 15, and, at its opposite end is provided with an elongated openingfor slot 34, to receive a pin 35 carried by the guide rod 17.

V Steam andwater of condensation, enter ing through the inlet, passes into the cham- Y ber 8 of the casing 1, and as the water accumulates in this chamber, the bucket 16 j `floats therein and is thereby raised to the upper limit of its movement,r thus turning the lever 32 upon its support and raising the valve rod 30 and its connected guide lmember 26 and valve 25, vthus holding the valve seated while the bucket 'is buoyant.

` K `Further laccumulation ofwater in the chamber 8 causes its level to rise until it reaches the upper end of the bucket, when'it will overflow intothe bucket. This-overfiow of water into the bucket decreases its buoyancy and causes it to finally descend rapidly with- Y inthe body of water in the chamber 8. This downwardmovement of the bucket operates the lever 32, valve rod V30, and its connected valve 25, and moves the valve away from its seat, opening the outlet 24 in theseat.

lil)

Steam entering `through the inlet 5: maintains a pressure within the chamber 8 upon the body ot' water thereinand, therefore, as soon as the outlet opening 24 in the valve .seat is opened by the fall of the `bucket and the;A movement of the Valve, this Steam pres-4 sure will :torce thewater contained inthe the tubular guide and supporting member 13 and past the .wings of the guide member '26,and out through the opening 24, where the outlet 6.

the head. from which it passes outthrough As the water isA thus forced out of the bucket, the bucket will again rise and close the valve, the water being forced by thel entering the bucket asthe water is forced u out, will pass through the opening V18 in the upperwall of the enlargement 14 and pass upwardly Vin the tube 13 to replace the column of water trappedin the tube by the Y closing of the valve. This column of water in the tube is thus permitted to fall into the lower part of the bucket and fill the cham,V ber 15, water-sealing the air inlet 18, and thus trapping the air within the tube,to be carried out with the outflow of ,water upon l the next opening of the valve.V Entrapped airis, therefore, removed from the line along with the water of condensation and such removal is particularly desirable `in many instances. y i

The depending tubular member 13 thus forms an outlet passage for` `the water, a guide for the bucket, and a support forv the valve operating mechanism, and as it is locatedaxially `Within the chamber 8, it is, Vpositioned together `with `such operating mechanism, within the bucket, and there fore thecasmg 1 may be of minimum diameter and occupies almimmum of space. This tubular member also extends to adjacent the Y bottom of the bucket so that the water contained therein is drawn `from adjacent the bottom of the bucket` and, by providing the opening 18 adjacent the lower end of this tubular member which forms the water outlet passage, entrapped air is automatically ejected from the system.'

` lAs the bucket, its guide, and the valve operating mechanism, together with the valve, are all carried by the detachable head 4, easy access to all of the movable parts of the devicemay be had by removing the head,

and by providing the detachable cap 20, easy access may be had to the valve and its seat forreplacement or repair. The form' of the valve 25-provides an arrangement Awhereby the valve may be readily detachedand turned end for end,A giving double lifewhen oneend `has become worn, and in like .mannen the valve seat may be renewed by simply de .As the linletfor the steam and water of condensation, is through the head 4, it is desirable that this steam and Water be directed Ydownwardly withinthe chamber 8 past the upper open end of the bucket, so that the p taching the Cap nut 22-and reversing the disk bucket `up through the passa-ge formed by 23 1 iso water will collect in the chamber 8 and beV prevented by yhe deflecting flange l() 'from entering the open end o'l' the bucket until such time as it rises in the chamber and overflows into the bucket.

Obviously, changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the construction or larrangement shown.

Having thustully described my invention, what I claim is l, A device of the character described comprising a casing forming a chamber for water olf condensation, a valve to control the flow of water from said chamber, a tubular member depending into said chamber and forming a passage for the outflowing water, a lateral` extension at the lower end oit' the tubular member, a bucket within the chamber surrounding the tubular member, with the tubularmember extending into the bucket to near the bottom thereof, and means carried by the tubular member and operated by the bucket for operating said valve, said lateral extension having an air inlet in its upper side opened by the fall of waterin the bucket upon outflow oi water therefrom, through said tubular member.

2. A steam trap comprising a casing form ing a water chamber, ahead on said casing formed with a water outlet chamber, a valve for controlling` communication between said water chambers, a tubular wmember depend ing from said head into the water chamber orP the casing, a lateral extension at the lower end of the tubular member a bucket in the water chamber ot the casing surrounding said tubular member and guided thereby, valve operating mechanism extending through said tubular member, said tubular member forming a water outlet passage leading to said valve, and said lateral extension provided with an -air inlet in its upper sideV within the bucket adapted to be uncovered by the fall of water in the bucket upon the provided with a steam inlet and a water outlet, said head being also formed with an openin g aiiording communication between said water chamber and said outlet in the head, a tubular member depending from the head in alignment with said opening and 'forming a waterpassage leading to the opening, a bucket in the water chamber into which the tubular member extends to near the bottom thereof, said tubular member being provided. with a lateral enlargement at its lower end, which enlargement is open at its lower side, a valve stem extending upwardly through said tubular member to operate said valve, a lever operatively connected withsaid bucket in the lateral enlargement and su ported withiny the tubular member for operating said valve stem, an arm extending from saidl tubular member, and a guide rod fixed to said bucket and passed slidably through said arm.

fl. A. steam trap comprising a casing formin g a water chamber and having a head provided with a water outlet, a valve carried by the head for controlling the outlet, a tubular member depending from `the head and forming a water passage leadingto the valve, a bucket surrounding the tubular member which extends downward therein to near the bottom of the bucket, said tubular member beingprovided with a lateral extension at its lower end having an open lower side and an air inlet opening at its upper side, a valve stem for operating the valve extending downwardly through the tubular member and means operatively connected to the bucket and located within said lateral extension of the tubular member, for operating said valve stem. Y

ln testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

`wrtrmin H'. KUHN. 

